Currently, fixed equipment is installed at established border crossings, transportation hubs (such as airports), customs offices and other established locations for authenticating security articles, such as identification documents and documents permitting access to a particular area such as a geographical area, and for identifying a user of such security articles to assess whether the user is an authorized user of the article and to assess whether the user is permitted to access the particular area. However, such fixed equipment is not available for mobile deployment in the field where it is also desired to confirm the validity of a security article, the identity of an individual, whether an individual is the authorized user of the security article, and/or whether an individual is permitted to access a particular area.
Security articles are usually protected by several layers of different security elements or features, which are chosen from different technology fields, manufactured by different suppliers, and embodied in different constituting parts of the security article. To break the protection of the security article, the counterfeiter would need to obtain all of the implied materials and to get access to all of the required processing technology, which is hardly an achievable task. Security features, e.g. for security articles, can generally be classified into “covert” security features and “overt” security features. The protection provided by “covert” security features relies on the concept that such features require specialized equipment and knowledge for detection, whereas “overt” security features rely on the concept of being detectable with the unaided human senses.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,659,650 to Mugica et al. discloses a portable apparatus for biometric and biographic data collection. The apparatus of Mugica et al. is disclosed as including any of: a portable computer having an integrated communication device; a lower casing that is lockable and ruggedized in accordance with a military standard; a fingerprint reader; a palm reader; a signature pad; a vein pattern scanner; a credential printer; a receipt printer; a smartcard reader; a RFID reader; a barcode reader; a magnetic strip reader; a passport or ID reader; a MRZ code reader; an optical reader; a keypad; a webcam; a digital camera; a video camera; an iris capture device; an iris scanner; and lateral lighting sources for illuminating the subject to be imaged by the camera. The brightness of the lighting sources are adjustable. The camera is mounted on an attachment portion and a secondary pivot portion that allow the camera to be tilted through 180 degrees in each direction relative to the horizontal plane and to pan sideways through 135 or 180 degrees in the clockwise or counterclockwise direction. A people registration module of the apparatus of Mugica et al. controls operations of peripherals including: acquiring images; acquiring fingerprints; analyzing fingerprint quantity and quality; printing enrollment receipts; printing ID cards; turning lights on and off; and acquiring iris images.
However, the apparatus of Mugica et al. is not operable to confirm the authenticity of a security article, whether an individual is the authorized user of the security article, and/or whether an individual is permitted to access a particular area. Furthermore, the apparatus of Mugica et al. lacks a full complement of security features necessary to safeguard the operator of the apparatus of Mugica et al. and the individual from which biometric and biographic data is being collected by the apparatus of Mugica et al.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a portable and tamper-resistant apparatus and a field deployable method for authenticating a security article so as to assess whether the security article is genuine and to determine whether the user is an authorized user of the security article. Preferably, the portable apparatus and field-deployable method of the present invention are improved with regard to one or more of safety, reliability, speed, cost, ease of operation, and automation.